STOCK MARKET TODAY's NEWS - ASCENT SOLAR (OTCBQ: ASTI) TO BROADEN SHAREHOLDER COMMUNICATIONS

Ascent Solar to Broaden SHAREHOLDER Communications 

 An Increase in Shareholder Interest Prompts New Communications Initiative to Leverage Growth and Revenue Opportunities While Offering Greater Transparency

THORNTON, CO – (Marketwired – January 11, 2016) Ascent Solar Technologies, Inc. (OTCBQ: ASTI), a developer and manufacturer of state-of-the-art, lightweight, and flexible thin-film photovoltaic (PV) solutions, announces that the Company, in response to an increase in shareholder inquiries, is launching a new communications effort intent on broadening the visibility of recent developments and its products, to better communicate available growth and revenue opportunities, and to promote greater transparency.

“It is our goal to improve communications for increased transparency and greater product education,” said Victor Lee, CEO and President of Ascent Solar Technologies, Inc.  “This effort will be supported by shareholder conference calls, new investor/shareholder contact forms, written corporate updates, management interviews, and video presentations to name a few.”

The Company has experienced a substantial increase in shareholder inquiries.  This interest partly follows the Company’s recent progress in product testing by JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), expansion into more than 1,600 Verizon Wireless retail stores, and a drop in 3^rd Quarter revenue compared to same period last year.  Recent events such as these have brought management to the realization that a new communications initiative is required for increased transparency and education purposes.  While the new communications effort is being launched to meet shareholders expectations, management anticipates that the effort will ultimately engender the interest of new investors, maintain the support of current shareholders, and grow its customer base.”

Mr. Lee continued, “On one hand, we have seemingly simple but highly effective and advanced consumer products.  On the other hand, we have very high-end solar products -- so advanced that they are being tested for deep space missions to Jupiter.  While both are fundamentally the same base product, they feature a different encapsulation to allow use in wide ranging capabilities and applicability.” 

“Likewise, it is somewhat difficult for shareholders to completely grasp what is going on with our revenue fluctuation; particularly when we have broad retail relationships such as Fry’s Electronics and Verizon Wireless stores.  In addition, shareholders may not fully appreciate the possible causes of our current depressed market valuation.  Most importantly, we want the market to clearly understand what our plans are to strengthen shareholder confidence during 2017.”

Mr. Lee concluded, “We will announce each aspect of the new communications initiative as we roll it out.  I’m most excited about delivering our first written corporate update and having a shareholder’s conference call.  We believe that there is a lot to be excited about the Company in 2017.”

ABOUT ASCENT SOLAR TECHNOLOGIES, INC:

Ascent Solar Technologies, Inc. is a developer of thin-film photovoltaic modules using flexible substrate materials that are more versatile and rugged than traditional solar panels.  Ascent Solar modules were named as one of the top 100 technologies in both 2010 and 2015 by R&D Magazine, and one of TIME Magazine's 50 best inventions for 2011.  The technology described above represents the cutting edge of flexible power and can be directly integrated into consumer products and off-grid applications, as well as other aerospace applications. Ascent Solar is headquartered in Thornton, Colorado. More information can be found at www.ascentsolar.com and www.enerplex.com.

Forward Looking Statements

Statements in this press release that are not statements of historical or current fact constitute "forward-looking statements."  Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other unknown factors that could cause the Company's actual operating results to be materially different from any historical results or from any future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements.  In addition to statements that explicitly describe these risks and uncertainties, readers are urged to consider statements that contain terms such as "believes," "belief," "expects," "expect," "intends," "intend," "anticipate," "anticipates," "plans," "plan," to be uncertain and forward-looking.  The forward-looking statements contained herein are also subject generally to other risks and uncertainties that are described from time to time in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Ascent Solar Technologies
Investor Relations
PCG Advisory Group Media Relations
Adam Holdsworth
adamh@pcgadvisory.com
+1-646-862-4607

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More About ASTI - Ascent Solar Technologies

Its one of Delotte’s 2016 “Fast 500” technologies companies, Assent Solar Technologies, Inc. – two time winner of R&D Magazine’s R&D 100 Award. Ascent Solar Technologies, Inc (OTCMKTS:ASTI) is positioned as a leading manufacturer based on adaptability and awards.

ASTI's Products

The EnerPlex™ brand of solar power and charging devices uses ASTI’s award-winning, patented CIGS flexible solar technology.  Their products include the Kicker IV Portable-Foldable-Flexible Solar Charger, Portable Power Packs such as the Gneratr 100,  The Packr solar backpack, and the SurfR phone case solar charger. 

            

ASTI's Distribution

We were surprised to learn that ASTI has already established the Company in the consumer, military and aviation markets.  On the consumer side, ASTIhas the EnerPlex™ brand  of products through retailers such as Walmart, Brookstone, Newegg, Amazon, Fry’s, BestBuy, and Verizon Wireless retailers.  In early 2015, the Company reached an agreement with EVINE live, a premier home shopping network with programming that reaches over 87 million US households. In the second quarter of 2015, ASTI launched its products into 100 The Sports Authority stores nationwide, in addition to launching in select Cabela’s stores. For the military and government markets, ASTI established the EnerPlex™ brand with GovX, the premier online shopping destination for Military, Law Enforcement and Government agencies.

ASTI's Awards

In early 2015, ASTI announced that six of their EnerPlex products were Red Dot Design Award winners.  In the third quarter of 2015, the Generatr 100 won a Best of Show Award at the CTIA Super Mobility show in Las Vegas. ASTI is now a Two time winner of R&D Magazine’s R&D 100 Award.

The Technology

Two decades of research and development lead to the development of ASTI’s patented photovoltaic technology. The Company’s proprietary manufacturing process deposits multiple layers of materials, including a thin film of highly efficient Copper-Indium-Gallium-diSelenide (“CIGS”) semiconductor material.  This material is then integrated on a flexible, lightweight plastic substrate using a roll-to-roll manufacturing process.  The layers are then laser patterned to create interconnected modules, in a process known as monolithic integration. ASTI’s monolithic integration technique enables the company to manufacture their photovoltaic modules at less cost compared to conventional photovoltaic manufacturers that assemble by soldering cells together.

ASTI believes that the use of their patented CIGS technology will allow for unique and seamless integration across a variety of electronic products in categories such as, defense, transportation, space applications, drones, and many more. This is especially true for markets that place a high premium on weight, such as consumer electronics, rooftop, defense, space, near space, and aeronautic markets. ASTI believes their materials provide an attractive increases in power-to-weight ratio, and we believe that our materials have higher power-to-area ratios and voltage-to-area ratios than competing flexible PV thin film technologies.

ASTI’s patented technology is transformational in nature, and will provide an advantage in serving newly emerging specialty markets such as UAV’s (unmanned aerial vehicles) as well as BAPV (building applied photovoltaic) and other applications where it is not possible to add solar panels to existing structures using traditional crystalline solar technology.

The future is looking bright for ASTI’s CIGS technology because of its ability to adapt to an endless number of applications. ASTI’s solar charging technology can adapt to the various shapes and sizes of products, while rigid solar panels cannot. It is with this adaptability that ASTI has positioned the Company to be a leader in the way we power our next generation devices.

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